My teeth are discolored, does that mean they’re unhealthy?

Having discoloured or darkened teeth colour, does not necessarily mean that your teeth are unhealthy. Just like hair colour, there are many differing colours of teeth between different people. And just like hair, teeth may also change colour as we age, become unwell, or suffer from a number of dental conditions, such as, root canal infections. Sometimes, teeth are merely stained from food and drink – red wine and black tea are common culprits of dental staining.

When we are younger, teeth are generally brighter in colour, due to thick white dental enamel. As we get older, this layer of enamel can wear away, becoming translucent, and display the yellow dentine underneath the enamel, giving the teeth a more yellow appearance.

Sometimes, teeth may become progressively darker, years after a traumatic incident that cause injury to the tooth, or area around it. Our great dentists in Churchill Eco Dental are easy to talk to, and will help you find out the cause of any tooth discolouration. Once we know what the reasons are, for the teeth to be discoloured, then our dentists can help you find the right solution.

A beaming white smile, where teeth are evenly bright, is generally thought of as attractive, or appealing in modern culture. Dentists prefer to use the term “dental shades” because they have developed numerous colour grading systems, that help determine where a patient’s tooth colour fits in the brightness scale. These dental shade guides help dentist measure colour changes during teeth whitening treatments, as well as help dentists choose the right colour when patients have teeth restored with tooth coloured restorations. It is not unusual for patients to visit our practice, Churchill Eco Dental, to seek a treatment for their darkened or discoloured teeth.

Depending on your age, what you would like to end up look like, and the cause of your discoloured teeth will determine what appropriate dental treatments can be done to make your smile whiter. At Churchill Eco Dental, we provide common treatment to help whiten the teeth of our patients. These treatments include stain removal, replacing black fillings with white fillings, Zoom! Office whitening, personalised home whitening, veneering teeth and also crowning teeth.